A GREEN ISLAND AFFAIR

NZ Truth, Issue 605, 20 January 1917, Page 6

A GREEN ISLAND AFFAIR

The Miner and the Bobby *' Are you Looking for Recruits? " '•■ ■ ■ His Worship held that the Great-Aus-tralian Adjective was Indecent (From "Truth's" Dunedin Rep.) Green Island is, a quarter where there are any amount of pious humbugs and conservative canters, so when "anything" does take place there it causes a ptir. Something more than a little Btir was occasioned last Monday at the Police Court, Dunedin, when William Gray, a young Green Islander, was charged, before Mr. J. R. Bartholomew, ' S.M., with using obscene language on the Main "South-road. The case, however, mainly hinged on THE QUESTION OF RECRUITING. Constable Woottin stated that he was standing m the street with several men, one of whom was Mick Kean, the local publican. Across the road, on the bridge he observed a group of young ihen.vand heard certain objectiohal expressions. Kean and the other men could have (heard them too. Witness walked over to the bridge. The young men went away with the exception of (defendant, William Gray. He cautioned Gray, and told him it was time he went home. He asked him the other men were, but Gray said he did not know them: Gray then became abusive and made use of bad language. He spoke about recruiting and said he (witness) was the cau£tf of his brother having been drawnjgS£i> the .flrst.-ballpt^ He said, ''YouJxxmEß& report agains£ him." He sajjaßJßßreLhing about himself ancL/gwSsffot, too, and said they had jsdgg@rgot kirn anyway. "The -jjjßsEp^nment is no good," he rernSßfeSrWitness told him to go home, and moved' back across the "Toad as he did so, Gray followed ah il" again, tdlke't) of and. balloting. He chal-' lenged witness to put up bis —7- frame, ihd his would give him a good go." , He Jlamed witness for his, ; brother getting drawn m the ballot, and "said -that he could prove he was right. ' Witness: I wish he could. I put m no, report against him, as ' ■ > <f IT IS NOT MY DUTY. •■■ Lawyer Sciirr: Did you tell him lie ought to be at the war?— No. Did you call him a -——waster, and my you would kick "his — — ? — I did not. Did you follow him home . and s call him a — - — waster m front of his father?— No. Mr. Scurr: Well", we have his fa-

ther here to prove that you did. Mick Keah, publican, Green Island, said he was standing outside his own place. He 'heard the constable and Gray arguing abont recruiting. He heard Gray say, '' Don't push your — — frame against me." He heard nothing at all from the young men on the-bridge before the constable went over. He could not say why the constable \ went over except to remove them off the bridge. He did not hear any obscene language used by anyone at any time. The defendant, William Gray, coal miner, said that the constable came up to Shim and said, "It is time you were at home." He replied; "He would please himself when he would go home." The constable ,then said : " You're a — - waster, yo\i should be at the front." He (defendant) then remarked, " Are you looking for recruits ? " to which the constable replied, 'Til kick your — — ' I" said,^ "you're not capable, of kicking my — — ." On several occasions the constable used similar expressions, and referred to him on many ; occasions as a " waster." His father heard the constable CALL HIM A WASTER on the evening m question. ; Sub-Inspector Fouhy: I have found the constable a most modest man", indeed,' one of the most mod.est men 'in the force ?—— Well, from his language I would not say he was a modest man. Wiilianr. Gray, father of defendant, said he heVrd his son and. the constable approaching the bouse. They were both arguing, and using bad lan- • guage. He did not hear any obscene expressions. He told his son to go to bed, and the constable' to .go home. "I may say" said witness, " that the vconstable called my son a waster m my presence, which ihe should not have done." His worship intimated that there was no cprrbboration of the alleged obscene expression used. There was indecent language used, however, and the fact „was corroborated by the witness Kean,"' Gray was convicted and fined £5 for using the "great Australian adjective ."